Northern lapwing taxonomy

The family Charadriidae is divided into two subfamilies Vanellinae and Charadriinae comprising nearly 64 species. These are small to medium-sized birds with compact bodies. They have short thick necks. They may have rounded or pointed wings.

These birds have straight and short bills, except for the wrybill, which has an an asymmetrically-turned (bent sideways) bill. They usually have short legs with short toes. Most of the species under family Charadriidae have short tails.

These birds are mostly monogamous. They lay 2-4 eggs on shallow scrape on the ground. The eggs are incubated for 21–30 days. Both the parents take part in incubating the eggs. The chicks are precocial and follow the parents for foraging.